Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010

In sharp contrast to the decreasing sea ice coverage of the Arctic, in the Antarctic the sea ice cover has, on average, expanded since the late 1970s. More specifically, satellite passive-microwave data for the period November 1978–December 2010 reveal an overall positive trend in ice extents of 17...

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Published in:The Cryosphere
Main Authors: D. J. Cavalieri, C. L. Parkinson
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-871-2012
https://doaj.org/article/3339008c6bdb4a89bf12718372401662
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author D. J. Cavalieri
C. L. Parkinson
author_facet D. J. Cavalieri
C. L. Parkinson
author_sort D. J. Cavalieri
collection Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles
container_issue 4
container_start_page 871
container_title The Cryosphere
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description In sharp contrast to the decreasing sea ice coverage of the Arctic, in the Antarctic the sea ice cover has, on average, expanded since the late 1970s. More specifically, satellite passive-microwave data for the period November 1978–December 2010 reveal an overall positive trend in ice extents of 17 100 ± 2300 km 2 yr −1 . Much of the increase, at 13 700 ± 1500 km 2 yr −1 , has occurred in the region of the Ross Sea, with lesser contributions from the Weddell Sea and Indian Ocean. One region, that of the Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas, has (like the Arctic) instead experienced significant sea ice decreases, with an overall ice extent trend of −8200 ± 1200 km 2 yr −1 . When examined through the annual cycle over the 32-yr period 1979–2010, the Southern Hemisphere sea ice cover as a whole experienced positive ice extent trends in every month, ranging in magnitude from a low of 9100 ± 6300 km 2 yr −1 in February to a high of 24 700 ± 10 000 km 2 yr −1 in May. The Ross Sea and Indian Ocean also had positive trends in each month, while the Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas had negative trends in each month, and the Weddell Sea and western Pacific Ocean had a mixture of positive and negative trends. Comparing ice-area results to ice-extent results, in each case the ice-area trend has the same sign as the ice-extent trend, but the magnitudes of the two trends differ, and in some cases these differences allow inferences about the corresponding changes in sea ice concentrations. The strong pattern of decreasing ice coverage in the Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas region and increasing ice coverage in the Ross Sea region is suggestive of changes in atmospheric circulation. This is a key topic for future research.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Arctic
Ross Sea
Sea ice
The Cryosphere
Weddell Sea
genre_facet Antarc*
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Arctic
Ross Sea
Sea ice
The Cryosphere
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geographic Antarctic
Arctic
Indian
Pacific
Ross Sea
The Antarctic
Weddell
Weddell Sea
geographic_facet Antarctic
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Indian
Pacific
Ross Sea
The Antarctic
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spelling ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:3339008c6bdb4a89bf12718372401662 2025-01-16T19:15:50+00:00 Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010 D. J. Cavalieri C. L. Parkinson 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-871-2012 https://doaj.org/article/3339008c6bdb4a89bf12718372401662 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/6/871/2012/tc-6-871-2012.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-6-871-2012 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/3339008c6bdb4a89bf12718372401662 The Cryosphere, Vol 6, Iss 4, Pp 871-880 (2012) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2012 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-871-2012 2022-12-31T06:18:49Z In sharp contrast to the decreasing sea ice coverage of the Arctic, in the Antarctic the sea ice cover has, on average, expanded since the late 1970s. More specifically, satellite passive-microwave data for the period November 1978–December 2010 reveal an overall positive trend in ice extents of 17 100 ± 2300 km 2 yr −1 . Much of the increase, at 13 700 ± 1500 km 2 yr −1 , has occurred in the region of the Ross Sea, with lesser contributions from the Weddell Sea and Indian Ocean. One region, that of the Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas, has (like the Arctic) instead experienced significant sea ice decreases, with an overall ice extent trend of −8200 ± 1200 km 2 yr −1 . When examined through the annual cycle over the 32-yr period 1979–2010, the Southern Hemisphere sea ice cover as a whole experienced positive ice extent trends in every month, ranging in magnitude from a low of 9100 ± 6300 km 2 yr −1 in February to a high of 24 700 ± 10 000 km 2 yr −1 in May. The Ross Sea and Indian Ocean also had positive trends in each month, while the Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas had negative trends in each month, and the Weddell Sea and western Pacific Ocean had a mixture of positive and negative trends. Comparing ice-area results to ice-extent results, in each case the ice-area trend has the same sign as the ice-extent trend, but the magnitudes of the two trends differ, and in some cases these differences allow inferences about the corresponding changes in sea ice concentrations. The strong pattern of decreasing ice coverage in the Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas region and increasing ice coverage in the Ross Sea region is suggestive of changes in atmospheric circulation. This is a key topic for future research. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Ross Sea Sea ice The Cryosphere Weddell Sea Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Antarctic Arctic Indian Pacific Ross Sea The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea The Cryosphere 6 4 871 880
spellingShingle Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Geology
QE1-996.5
D. J. Cavalieri
C. L. Parkinson
Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010
title Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010
title_full Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010
title_fullStr Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010
title_full_unstemmed Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010
title_short Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010
title_sort antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010
topic Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Geology
QE1-996.5
topic_facet Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Geology
QE1-996.5
url https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-871-2012
https://doaj.org/article/3339008c6bdb4a89bf12718372401662